Acc Schools To Reap Benefits Of Ncaa Tournament

Final Four Notebook

SEATTLE — Atlantic Coast Conference schools will share approximately $4.75 million in revenue from the NCAA tournament, with portions ranging from $950,000 to $139,000.

Under the ACC's formula for dividing basketball tournament revenue, each school that made the NCCAs keeps its entire estimated first-round payoff of $250,200. The school also keeps 70 percent of the remainder, with the other 30 percent being divided among the other seven institutions.

Hence, Virginia will keep $775,620 of its $1,000,800 payoff and will earn another $107,229 from the other five participating ACC teams. Duke will gross $950,000. Wake Forest and Maryland, the only ACC teams not in the NCAA tournament, will make $139,398 each.

Ironically, Wake and Maryland will make more than George Mason, which was the Colonial Athletic Association's only representative. The CAA allows Mason to keep 51 percent of its payoff, or $127,602. The remaining 49 percent is split between the other seven schools and the league office, meaning William and Mary will net $15,325.

Virginia Tech is shut out from tournament revenue because the Metro Conference does not share, which only adds to Tech's budget crunch.

South Alabama will keep half of its $500,400 payoff, while the rest goes to the Sun Belt Conference office.

"The other schools don't benefit directly, but this decreases conference dues they might have to pay," said John Iamarino, the Sun Belt's assistant commissioner.

DUKE COACH Mike Krzyzewski is the most successful active tournament coach in terms of winning percentage.

Krzyzewski's teams are 16-5 in the NCAAs, a .762 percentage. Indiana's Bob Knight (29-10, .744) was first until Krzyzewski passed him last week. Villanova's Rollie Massimino is next at 19-8, .704.

Krzyzewski is the fourth coach this decade to take three teams to the Final Four. The others are Georgetown's John Thompson, Houston's Guy Lewis and Louisville's Denny Crum.

SHORT TAKES: This is only the second time in 25 years and the first since 1979 that none of the Final Four teams has ever won the national championship. The 1979 Final Four was Penn, Michigan State, Indiana State and Arkansas.

In its last two games, Seton Hall has handed Indiana and Nevada-Las Vegas their worst NCAA tournament defeats ever in 28 combined appearances. The Pirates beat the Hoosiers by 13 and the Runnin' Rebels by 23.

Despite rumors to the contrary, Kenny Anderson, the nation's top prep player from New York, has exceeded college board score requirements and will be academically eligible to play for Georgia Tech next season.

Duke is the nation's only school with six 2,000-point career scorers. They are Danny Ferry, Johnny Dawkins, Mark Alarie, Gene Banks, Mike Gminski and Jim Spanarkel.